Grill smoking composition and method of production

ABSTRACT

A direct-burning grill smoking composition for imparting the flavor of a selected hardwood to a grilled food product contains a quantity of particles of the selected hardwood distributed in a solid matrix formed by partially dehydrating a slurry containing the hardwood particles and a binder dispersed in water. Following ignition, the grill smoking composition continues to smolder without the need for application of further heat until the grill smoking composition is reduced to ashes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to flavor enhancers used in grilling food over abed of coals or gas, and, more particularly, but not by way oflimitation, to a direct-burning grill smoking composition which,following ignition, smolders to produce volatile agents for flavoringgrilled foods.

2. Discussion

In the United States and elsewhere, cooking of meat and other foods overan open fire or a bed of coals has long been considered to impart uniqueand desirable flavors. Special woods such as hickory, mesquite, apple,oak, maple, alder, cherry, sassafras, birch, ash, willow, cedar, andsome pines are often used to give particular flavors to the meat. Otheraromatic materials such as spice hulls, nutshells, and spices have alsobeen added to the bed of coals or placed within the grill to impartflavor to the food as the food is being cooked.

Yet wood is not normally used for open cooking. A large amount of woodwould be required to prepare a bed of coals suitable for grilling orcooking. Seasoned (i.e., dry) firewood burns very quickly and producesabundant flames which must be allowed to die down before the desired bedof coals is available. The fast burning wood produces large volumes ofsmoke which can be unpleasant in confined locations such as a back yardor in the kitchen of a restaurant. Furthermore, the characteristicflavor comes from volatile materials within the wood, and the burningwood does not release the volatile materials efficiently. The flavoringsmoke is emitted from the wood during the initial stages of the firewhen the flames are too intense for proper cooking. Moreover, theflavoring smoke is generated too fast for efficient absorption by themeat.

It is now customary to cook meats over a bed of coals prepared fromcharcoal or in a gas grill. Charcoal burns with a substantiallyflameless fire that is more easily controlled than a wood fire. Charcoalbriquettes molded from powdered charcoal have come to be universallyused for grilling meats over a charcoal fire. Yet the volatile materialswhose flavors are sought for flavoring the meat are lost during theprocess by which the charcoal is produced. Even special charcoal such asthat prepared from hickory wood is a poor substitute for the wood itselffor imparting a hickory-smoked flavor to meats. Electric smokers arealso used to prepare meats.

Unless the grill chef is cooking with whole logs of hard wood, the onlyway to get a true smoky wood flavor in grilled foods is to add wood tothe fire. Whether preparing meat using a gas grill, a charcoal grill, oran electric smoker, experienced grill chefs often use wood chips or woodchunks to add a smoky wood flavor to their meats. Mesquite and hickoryare often used for chicken, ribs, and brisket. Cedar and alder woods gowell with salmon and other seafood. Apple and cherry are commonly usedwith pork. Dried woody branches of rosemary or grape vines are sometimesused with lamb. For gas grills, the grill chef places a couple ofhandfuls of wood chips in a smoker box or wraps them in aluminum foil aperforates the aluminum foil several times to permit volatile materialsto escape. The smoker box (or the substitute aluminum foil packet) isplaced on the burning element and the grill is closed to retain thevolatile flavor enhancers.

For charcoal grills, the grill chef soaks several handfuls of the woodchips or wood chunks in water for 30 minutes or more to prevent the woodfrom burning too quickly. Then, just prior to grilling, the grill chefsprinkles the moist (but not dripping wet) wood chips over the hotcoals. As in the case of gas grills, covering the grill helps tointensify the smoke flavor. For electric smokers, the soaked wood chipsor wood chunks are placed between the electric heating element and themeat.

Wood chips are small pieces of wood whose combustion produces small,quick bursts of smoke. Even when soaked in water, chips will burn upfairly quickly, create smoke, and then disappear. Chips are best forshort grilling times or when only a small amount of smoke flavor isdesired. Some electric and gas smokers are designed to handle wood chipsonly. Chunks are relatively large pieces of hardwood, usually less thantwo inches, best suited for creating smoke over a longer period of time.Whether using chips or chunks, the grill chef soaks them in water in aneffort to slow down the combustion and prevent bitter flavors resultingfrom quick, intense bursts of smoke.

Hinderer, U.S. Pat. No. 2,341,377, discloses a briquette comprisingpowdered charcoal and comminuted aromatic wood. The powdered material ismixed with a binder, molded into a briquette, and hardened.

An alternative procedure, disclosed by Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 2,916,365,is to coat blocks of aromatic wood with flame retarding materials tocontrol the rate of combustion.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,653, to Simmons et al., discloses an aromatic woodproduct for use in barbecuing foods which comprises wood impregnated orcoated with combustion-retarding materials such as alkali metal salts,borax and the like to control the rate of release of volatile woodcomponents for proper smoking of the food. The flame inhibition processmay be applied to chunks, blocks or small logs of wood or to comminutedwoods which are formed into briquettes.

Crace, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,727, discloses a composition containingaromatic woods and/or spices which is placed in a container between abed of coals and the meat being cooked. The aromatic ingredients of thecomposition are vaporized by the heat of the coals and impart flavor tothe meat.

Crace, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,805, discloses a charcoal briquette whichencloses at least one pellet of combustible aromatic material.

Each of the approaches described above has deficiencies. With thebriquette according to the Hinderer '377 patent, individual particles ofwood are subjected to high temperatures of the charcoal flame, so theindividual particles of wood burn rapidly and produce the undesirableshort, quick bursts of smoke discussed above. The physical integrity ofthe charcoal briquette is affected by the presence of individual woodparticles, both before and during combustion. Moreover, production of adifferent charcoal briquette for each different wood flavoring would berequired. The method disclosed in the Smith '365 patent has obviouseconomic disadvantages. The aromatic wood product disclosed in theSimmons et al. '653 patent requires a separate heat source to generatethe flavor enhancing volatile wood components. The Crace '677 patentrequires both a separate composition and also an additional piece ofapparatus in the grill. Like the Hinderer '377 patent, the Crace '805patent discloses a briquette which would require a different product foreach flavor enhancing wood.

Accordingly, what is needed is a simple, economical composition forgenerating volatile aromatic vapors for flavoring meat and other foodscooked on charcoal grills, in gas grills, and in smokers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A direct-burning grill smoking composition for imparting the flavor of aselected hardwood to a grilled food product contains a quantity ofparticles of the selected hardwood distributed in a solid matrix formedby partially dehydrating a slurry of the wood particles and a binderdispersed or dissolved in water. Following ignition and elimination ofopen flame, the grill smoking composition continues to smolder withoutthe application of external heat until the grill smoking composition isreduced to ashes. Additional flavor enhancers such as ground charcoaland the like can also be incorporated into the grill smokingcomposition.

An object of the present invention is to provide a direct-burning grillsmoking composition for use in conjunction with gas grills and electricsmokers to impart a wood flavor to the food product.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a grillsmoking composition which eliminates the need for soaking of wood chipsand wood chunks prior to grilling.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome clear from the following description of the preferred embodimentwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a grill-smoking composition according to the presentinvention in use on a gas grill.

FIG. 2 is a view of another grill smoking composition according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of the grill smoking composition shown in FIG. 2wherein the grill smoking composition has been ignited.

FIG. 4 is a view of the grill smoking composition shown in FIGS. 2-3wherein a substantial portion of the grill smoking composition has beenlost due to combustion.

FIG. 5 is a view of the grill smoking composition shown in FIGS. 2-4 thecombustion process is nearly complete.

FIG. 6 is a view of a molded grill smoking composition producedaccording to applicant's invention wherein the grill smoking compositionresides in a mold.

FIG. 7 is a view of the grill smoking composition of FIG. 6 deployed ina small pan for use in a grill.

FIG. 8 is another view of the grill smoking composition of FIG. 6 inconjunction with a view self-contained pan for use in a grill.

FIG. 9 is another view of the grill smoking composition of FIG. 6packaged in a partially tear-away container.

FIG. 10 is a view of a representative cross-section of a grill smokingcomposition according to applicant's invention.

FIG. 11 is a view of a representative cross-section of another grillsmoking composition according to applicant's invention.

FIG. 12 is a view of a representative cross-section of another grillsmoking composition according to applicant's invention.

FIG. 13 is a view of another grill smoking composition according toapplicant's invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description of the invention, like numerals andcharacters designate like elements throughout the figures of thedrawings.

Referring generally to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, adirect-burning grill smoking composition 20 rests in a pan 22 atop anunlit burner B of a gas grill G. The grill G has a cover C and a spit Sdriven by a drive motor M. A food product F (e.g., chicken, turkey, porkloin, lamb, or beef) is secured on the spit S for grilling. Vapors 24emitted by the smoldering grill smoking composition 20 enhance theflavor of the food product F. Burner control valves V₁, V₂, V₃, and V₄meter gas to corresponding burners B₁, B₂, B₃, and B₄, respectively ofthe gas grill G. The grill smoking composition 20 includes a burningportion 26 (from which the vapors 24 are emitted) and an as-yet-unburnedportion 28. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that thegrill composition 20, once ignited, continues to smolder, withoutbursting into open flame, until the grill composition 20 is reduced toash (See FIGS. 2-5). It will also be understood by one skilled in theart that, while the present invention is described in relation to a gasgrill, the present invention is equally applicable to smokers, includingelectric smokers, and all types of grills, including charcoal grills.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the gas grill G is shown without gratesnormally used for grilling food products such as hamburgers, steaks,pork chops, chicken pieces, pork chops, lamb chops, vegetables, and thelike. Depending on the physical configuration of the gas grill G and thesize of the food product F cooked on the spit S, removal of the gratesmay be required to accommodate the food product F. It will be understoodby one skilled in the art that the direct-burning grill smokingcomposition 20 according to applicant's invention can be placed in anyconvenient location so that, when the cover G is closed, the foodproduct F is imbued with the flavor-enhancing vapors 24 emitted by thesmoldering grill smoking composition 20. It will also be understood byone skilled in the art that, for best results, the direct-burning grillsmoking composition 20 should not be placed directly in the path offlames rising from the burners B₁, B₂, B₃, and B₄ of the gas grill G. InFIG. 1, the grill smoking composition 20 is placed in a shallow pan 22directly on the unlit burner B₁.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, a direct-burning grill smoking composition50 is tracked during the combustion process. The direct-burning grillsmoking composition 50 consists of a quantity of flavor enhancing woodparticles consisting of a blend of fine wood particles 52 andintermediate-sized wood particles 54 in a matrix 56.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, vapors 58 rise from a smoldering portion 60of the grill smoking composition 50 above an un-burned portion 62. InFIG. 5, the smoldering portion 60 continues to emit vapors 58 as theun-burned portion 62 disappears, leaving only a small residue of ash 64.It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the direct-burninggrill smoking composition 50 leaves a negligible quantity of ash 64 forcleanup as compared to traditional wood chips and wood chunks.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-9, the process of producing the direct-burninggrill smoking composition 20 is shown. A quantity of a selectedflavoring-enhancing wood particles is mixed with a quantity of a binderand a sufficient amount of water (preferably, distilled water) to form aslurry 100. The slurry 100 is then cast directly into a mold 102. Themold and its contents are then dried at room temperature (about 70-80degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 72 hours, or in the alternative, in acool oven (less than about 200 degrees F.) for about 24 hours, untilsufficient water has been removed to result in a solid matrix. The mold102 is then removed to provide the grill smoking composition 20 shown inFIGS. 7-9. The drying time can be further reduced by application of apartial vacuum during the drying process.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, the grill smoking composition 20 produced asdescribed can be supported by the shallow pan 22 at a convenientlocation in the gas grill G, in an electric smoker (not shown), or in acharcoal grill (not shown). A more convenient approach is to supply thegrill smoking composition 20 in a disposable foil support 104, as shownin FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, a foil wrapper 106 has an upper tear-away portion108 and a lower support portion 110 used to support the grill smokingcomposition 20 within the gas grill G.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the shape of thedirect-burning grill smoking composition 20 (FIG. 1, FIGS. 6-10) and thegrill smoking composition 50 (FIGS. 2-5) is determined by the shape ofthe mold used to produce the direct-burning grill smoking compositions20, 50. As shown in FIGS. 6-9, the removable mold 102 consists of adisposable paper cup. The grill smoking composition 50 shown in FIGS.2-5 was molded by placement of the slurry 102 in a removable mold havingthe shape of half of an egg.

Various binders can be used to create the matrix which holds theflavor-enhancing wood particles in place for use as a direct-burninggrill smoking composition. Elmer's glue, flour, and starch all worked,but the best results were obtained with Makko (Tabu-no-ki), a powdercommonly used in the production of incense. Tabu-no-ki is the bark ofthe Machillus Thunbergii tree, which grows in Southeast Asia. Makkocomes in several grades, with the higher grades having less aroma thanthe lower grades. Makko is a water-soluble adhesive and is almostodorless. As a result, the Makko aroma is not evident when the Makko ismixed with other ingredients. Makko also helps to promote smooth andeven burning.

To make the grill smoking composition, a quantity of wood particles anda sufficient quantity of Makko (or other binder) is mixed withsufficient water to make a slurry. The slurry is then poured into a moldand dehydrated until the mixture hardens into a solid matrix. A mixturecomposed of about 15-18% Makko as a percentage of the wood particlesproduced a grill smoking composition which held together and burnedevenly. At Makko percentages of less than about 10%, the resultingcomposition crumbled and burned unevenly.

Wood particles ranging from very fine (finer than sawdust) to fine(similar to saw dust) to intermediate (largest dimension about 1/32 inchto about ⅛ inch) to coarse chips (largest dimension about ⅛ inch andlarger) are suitable for use, with varying success, in the present grillsmoking composition. A grill smoking composition containing only finewood particles resulted in good structural integrity, but the effect onthe flavor of the food product being grilled was reduced. A compositionformed from coarse wood particles was difficult to ignite and did notremain lit. An excess of Makko (greater than about 18%) resulted in acomposition which smoldered down to ash more rapidly and contained arelatively smaller quantity of flavor-enhancing wood particles.

It will also be understood by one skilled in the art that the size ofthe direct-burning grill smoking composition depends on the application.The half-egg shape grill smoking composition 50 shown in FIGS. 2-5 isabout 1 inch tall. Other shapes include tapered cylinders similar to thecomposition 20 shown in FIG. 1 with diameters ranging from 2 inches to 3inches and heights up to 3¾ inch. Conical shapes were also successful.

It will also be understood that the particle size of the wood particleshas an influence on the burning time of the grill smoking composition. Amixture of about 15-18% Makko with a trimodal blend of wood particles(one-third very fine, one-third course, one-third intermediate) produceda half-egg shaped grill smoking composition 50 which burned fully inopen air in about 40 minutes and in a heated grill in about 26 minutes.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-12, representative cross-sections of grillsmoking compositions 120, 130, and 140 illustrate the blending ofdifferent sizes of wood particles, together with a binder, according toapplicant's invention. In FIG. 10, fine wood particles sizes 122 andintermediate-sized wood particles 124 are dispersed in a matrix 126(represented by a clear background). In FIG. 11, fine wood particles132, intermediate 134, 136 of wood particles are dispersed in a matrix138 (represented by a clear background). In FIG. 12, two particles sizesof wood particles 142, 144, together with wood shavings 146, aredispersed in a matrix 148 (represented by a clear background).

Referring now to FIG. 13, another grill smoking composition 150according to the present invention has includes a thin coating 152 ofmelted wax or fire-starter gel to facilitate lighting of the grillsmoking composition 150.

Woods suitable for the direct-burning grill smoking compositionaccording to the present invention include hickory, mesquite, apple,oak, maple, alder, cherry, sassafras, birch, ash, willow, cedar, andsome pines. Other aromatic materials such as spice hulls, nutshells, andspices are also suitable for inclusion in the grill smoking composition.in the have also been added to the bed of coals or placed within thegrill to impart flavor to the food as the food is being cooked.Moreover, the addition of a small amount of ground charcoal (up to about10% by weight) to the slurry imparts a slight charcoal flavor to thegrilled food product.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and its practical application,to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize theinvention and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scopeof the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and theirequivalents.

1. A direct-burning grill smoking composition for imparting the flavorof a selected hardwood to a grilled food products, the grill smokingcomposition comprising a quantity of particles of the selected hardwooddistributed in a solid matrix, wherein the solid matrix furthercomprises an at least partially dehydrated mixture of a binder in water,and wherein, following ignition, the grill smoking composition continuesto smolder without the necessity of application of additional heat. 2.The grill smoking composition of claim 1 wherein the binder isTabu-no-ki.
 3. The composition of claim 2, wherein the binder is about10-18% by weight of the quantity of the selected hardwood particles. 4.The composition of claim 4, wherein the binder is about 15% by weight ofthe quantity of the selected hardwood particles.
 5. The composition ofclaim 4, the quantity of hardwood particles is a blend of fine particlesand intermediate-sized particles.
 6. The composition of claim 4, whereinthe quantity of hardwood particles is a blend of fine particles,intermediate-sized particles, and course particles.
 7. The compositionof claim 1, wherein the binder is Elmer's glue.
 8. The composition ofclaim 1, wherein the binder is flour.
 9. The composition of claim 1,wherein the binder is starch.
 10. The composition of claim 2, whereinthe quantity of hardwood particles further comprises up to about 10% byweight ground charcoal.
 11. A method of producing a direct-burning grillsmoking composition for imparting the flavor of a selected hardwood to agrilled food product, the grill smoking composition comprising the stepsof: mixing a quantity of particles of the selected hardwood with a watermixture of a binder to create a slurry; pouring the slurry into a mold;drying the mold and the mold contents to at least partially dehydratethe slurry to create a solid matrix containing the hardwood particles;removing the solid matrix containing the hardwood particles from themold.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the quantity of hardwoodparticles further comprises a at least two different particle sizes ofthe hardwood particles.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the quantityof hardwood particles further comprises a at least three differentparticle sizes of the hardwood particles.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein the binder is about 10-18% by weight Tabu-no-ki
 15. The methodof claim 14, wherein the binder is about 15% by weight Tabu-no-ki. 16.The method of claim 11, wherein the drying step is performed at roomtemperature.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the drying step isperformed in a cool oven at a temperature up to about 200 degreesFahrenheit.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the quantity of woodparticles further comprises up to about 10% by weight ground charcoal.19. The method of claim 11, wherein the binder is Elmer's glue.
 20. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the binder is flour.